White House says Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner can do job without security clearance

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, can continue in his role as a senior White House adviser even if he does not obtain a security clearance, the White House said on Tuesday.

Kushner has been operating under a temporary clearance for the past year while the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducts a background investigation. Under an order issued on Friday by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Kushner will lose the temporary clearance in less than a week.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters that Kushner will continue the work he has been doing the past year whether he gets a full security clearance or not. He has been trying to get the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner arrive on Air Force One to accompany U.S. President Donald Trump for his tour of the Boeing South Carolina facility in North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. February 17, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Florida

U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump (C) and her family, husband Jared Kushner (L) and children Joseph and Arabella Kushner, arrive aboard the Marine One helicopter with the president to board Air Force One for travel to Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. March 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Michigan

White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (C) attends a roundtable discussion held by U.S. President Donald Trump with auto industry leaders at the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, U.S. March 15, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Jared Kushner, senior advisor and son-in-law to U.S. President Donald Trump, meets with service members at a forward operating base near Qayyarah West in Iraq, April 4, 2017. DoD/Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominique A. Pineiro/Handout via REUTERS

Florida

China's first lady Peng Liyuan talks with Trump Senior Advisor Jared Kushner as they attend a dinner at the start of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. April 6, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Saudi Arabia

White House senior advisor Jared Kushner (C) arrives to join U.S. President Donald Trump and the rest of the U.S. delegation to meet with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Israel

White House senior advisor Jared Kushner leaves a note at the Western Wall in Jerusalem May 22, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

White House senior advisor Jared Kushner holds his son Theo as U.S. President Donald Trump with the first family arrives at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, U.S., after a weekend at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, June 11, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

West Bank

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with White House senior advisor Jared Kushner in the West Bank City of Ramallah June 21, 2017. Thaer Ghanaim/PPO/Handout via REUTERS

Poland

Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, senior advisor of President Donald Trump, arrive aboard Air Force One at Warsaw military airport in Warsaw, Poland July 5, 2017. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh